And I Always Will Be
by Aponi Aquene
Summary: An AU where Regina Mills and Emma Swan were a young Henry's imaginary friends: After finding his old story book, Henry finds a letter written to him from someone very special from his past. Swan Queen -Swan Believer - Regal Believer - Swan Mills Family.


**A/N: Hi. This is a short little thing where Regina and Emma were Henry's imaginary friends. It's an AU of course. But it's in a world where imaginary friends are real.**

 **I've had this in my head FOREVER and I couldn't focus on anything else. I just had to get it out.**

 **This is kinda short because I felt like I could tell it that way.**

 **Sorry for mistakes especially this time because I'm doped up on allergy medicine. Anyway, I own nothin'. This is just for fun or whichever and I just wanted to write it... but Enjo** y! **:)**

And I Always Will Be

Henry Mills grunted as he moved another box, rearranging everything in the attic of their new home. He was looking for something very specific. He opened box after box searching. How could he have forgotten that? Something so important to his life? He sighed in frustration as he moved the next box aside after coming up short. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand and looked around the room. There were way too many boxes. He would have to call it a night and just begin his search after work at the Sheriff's station. Which was disappointing but he'll live.

He sighed as he stood. He started to exit the room but something caught his eye and they widened. There it was sitting in a rocking chair. How had it gotten there? It's been packed away for years. He shrugged and went over to the chair and scooped up the old worn book. He smiled at it as memories rushed threw his mind. He ran his thumb over the words on the cover, "Once Upon a Time" he shared some of his best memories with that book.

He grinned and turned on his heels. He headed out of the room and down the stairs. He felt child like glee. It's been so long since he's felt this excited about anything. He continued down the hall and stopped at the white bedroom door with little flowers printed on it. He tapped on it softly. 'Come in' a little voice called back. With a chuckle he pushed the door open and peeked in.

There snuggled under soft yellow blankets was his four year old daughter. Her dark hair was brushed and her little hazel eyes were locked on him. She smiled and waved.

"Hi Daddy!"

"Hey Hailey." He chuckled as he entered the room. "All ready for bed, Kid?"

She smiled and gave him a big nod. "I'm ready for my story, daddy."

He smiled as he headed across the room and sat at the edge of the bed. He held up his old book and the little girl looked at it then back up at him with furrowed brows. He chuckled. "This was my favorite thing in the world when I was little like you, I wandered into a library and a nice librarian named Belle gave this to me."

Hailey nodded. "What's it say?" She asked pointing to the cover. She was still too young to read.

"Once Upon a Time." He answered with an excitement that excited his daughter as well. "It's some of the coolest fairytales."

The little girl giggled. "Yay! Read it, daddy!"

"Okay, okay!" Henry said. He leaned over and tucked the child in. He then returned to the book and opened it. He was so excited to share this with his child. He was also excited to revisit these stories. He cleared his throat as he read the first line, "Once Upon a Time..."

He read his daughter his favorite stories. The little girl loved it as much as he did. Constantly gasping at suspenseful parts and giggling at the funniest. She was having a blast and it reminded him of himself. Eventually the child tired herself out with excitement and fell asleep during the part when Snow White met Prince Charming.

Henry lowered his book and watched his sleeping child. He chuckled and shook his head. She reminded him so much of himself as a child. Curious, adventurous and imaginative. After leaning over and kissing the child's forehead he went to turn her bedside light off but when he stood, something fell out of the book. He furrowed his brow as he looked at the white envelop. Bending down he scooped it up and looked it over. In a fancy script was written, 'for Henry' across the front.

He tore it open, unfolded the paper. His brows rose and his mouth fell open when he began to read the letter...

 _Dear Henry,_

 _Hey Kid, it's me Emma. Your Bestest Friend. I hope by the time you read this, you still remember me. Even if you don't, don't feel bad because I've saved enough memories for the both of us. Well, Hen, I'm writing to you because I know that a day will come when we will have to say goodbye but before that dreaded time comes, I want you to know how much we love you. And we always will._

 _This letter is not going to be a sad one, dude. In fact I'm going to just jump right in._

 _Story time! I know you love them and hopefully you still do at this point._

 _Okay, here goes..._

 _Once upon a time there was a little four year old boy named Henry. You see, no matter how bright and beautiful the little boy appeared to be on the outside, he was still sad and lonely on the inside and had a hard time opening up. He was not very good at making friends simply because he was too shy. But if he tried he would have had so many buddies because he was an awesome person and anyone would have been lucky to be his friend. The truth is I was lucky to discover what it was like having a friend like him. You see, Henry loves fairytales! They're like his favorite thing and he would sneak away to the old wooden castle in the playground and play knights._

 _One day he was battling a powerful enemy. One so great that he could not defeat it on his own so he summoned one of the most powerful knights to ever live. That's when I winked into existence. It's how I came to be. From his big beautiful brain. It was incredible. I was no longer just inside his head. I could feel, move, think and most importantly I could protect him. Without second thought I ran head on into the battle with my gold sword held high. Henry and I fought valiantly that day and brought down the most powerful dragon in all the realms. We proudly road into the nearest kingdom and collected our prize._

 _That's when I knew. I knew that he was going to be my best friend and there was nothing that we couldn't accomplish as long as we did it together._

 _This even went for Henry's home life as well. You see, Henry was a foster kid. He didn't have the best life. After being bounced around since birth, he ended up in a home at four. Well, it was not his forever family which was good because he didn't need them. He had me and I had him. We were all we needed. The home was less than satisfactory but his trust in me and my love for him made it okay._

 _Too many kids and not enough food, clothes or adults. Henry barely got enough to eat or clothes without my help. You see, even though no one else could see me besides my best friend, I could still interact with objects and people. Every now and then I would make my presence known with a thrown item, bouncing of a ball or a slammed door. I remember even tripping the foster dad when he was going to hit Henry for nothing other than being too little to mow the lawn. They thought the house was haunted which was hilarious. I'm far more mischievous than he is. Which is good._

 _We continued to have a blast in spite of that. We made each other happy. We went on so many adventures, Prince Henry and I. I remember every single one. One of my favorites is when we went to Hogwarts and helped Harry Potter to defeat Voldemort. That was amazing. Also when we helped the Avengers defeat Magneto and the Brotherhood (which was interesting because I don't even think that's actually a thing). We always had a great time. Henry's imagination was so incredible that he could create any surroundings and even my armor always matched the mission. I've had some cool armor. My fave is the all white one with the white sword. That was cool._

 _Henry had an imagination that could soar so high, it could reach the sky._

 _But Henry was always generous with me. I remember one of the greatest gifts he had ever given me. My love. My wife, my queen, my Regina. We met each other when Henry and I were on a mission to rescue a missing princess. I charged in, battled a dragon and won, kissed her, waking her from her sleeping curse and we lived happily ever after. We took over the kingdom of the wicked queen that had Regina put under the curse in the first place and then we were married immediately. Henry officiated the ceremony. It was awesome and I couldn't have been happier with the two of them._

 _Who knew that someone who was not even real could feel so much love in their imaginary heart but I managed it. I could never thank him enough for Regina. She makes watching him grow bearable._

 _We both know what it means but we're grateful to have know him. To have him love us and to love him. That makes it all worth it._

 _That's why I cherish every moment. Watching Regina hum to him as he slept while I fight off the Boogie Man when he's feeling bold. My hatred for that guy grows more and more each day. I enjoy giving the occasional bully a wedgie to scare him off. Regina makes sure he's clean and fed._

 _The three of us became a team. You see, Regina had magic which comes in handy in battles against Rumplestiltskin and Mother Gothel. Poofing is also fun. Its where Regina can teleport us with magic._

 _We had many adventures throughout the years, the three of us. Each awesome and wonderful. Each memorable. Each a part of our happiness and story. Every fantasy more elaborate than the last._

 _And you know what? That felt okay. That felt safe. It was perfect. That's exactly what they all wanted. It's all they ever needed. Henry found his family and the two imaginary friends found him._

 _They lived happily ever after... well for the time being._

 _Now, the reason I'm telling you this Henry, is because you are a big boy now. You've found your forever home and they love you so much. I know, I've been watching them. Regina finds the moments that they try to talk to us very funny because they think they're talking to an empty seat but we're actually sitting there. They're still pretty awesome regardless. I love that they love you. Your adoptive moms are very nice women and I'm glad that they found you but they're the lucky ones because you found them. You saved them._

 _Be good to them._

 _Henry, you will never understand how happy I am for you. Well, both of us are. I'm also proud of you for giving them a chance._

 _You're eleven years old, Hen! Eleven, almost all grown up. You're making so many friends and I saw that cute little girl Violet kiss your cheek. Regina approves no matter how scandalized she looks at the mere idea of you having a girlfriend. She's happy for you. So am I. You are getting everything you deserved. A happy ending. That's all I've ever wanted for you._

 _If you get one so do we._

 _But I've noticed that sometimes you can't see us. That means I'm beginning to fade from your mind and so is Regina but it's okay. It's okay because once an imaginary friend is created, that cannot be undone, so we may fade from your world but we'll always be around. Together. Like you wanted._

 _Watching you grow into a kind, intelligent, gentleman is wonderful. No matter how little time we have together, I'm glad I've gotten the chance to see it._

 _I'm so glad that I've gotten the chance to know you at all._

 _I'm going to spend as much time with you as I can._

 _In fact, I'm watching you play right now. You're running around on the driveway of your home shooting some hoops. Not very well but you're trying. Hopefully by now you're much better than you were at eleven and If you're not that's cool, man. Ha! I love you, buddy but you aren't getting drafted anytime soon. Gina is off on the side lines cheering you on. I love the cheerleader outfit you put her in. I bet you're groaning right now. Get over it! I love her! Besides it's your fault she's so gorgeous. You created her. Anyway, my jersey and shorts are pretty cool too. They match yours._

 _I see that you're trying to hold on to us just as we're trying to hold on to you. That's why every little hug we give you lingers longer because we're trying to memorize your hug, your smell, your warmth. We're trying to remember Henry. But regardless we'll never forget you. We'll never let you go._

 _So hold on a little tighter Henry, just for a little while longer. Grasp us for as long as you can. But don't be afraid to let go. You've grown so much. You're so strong. You'll be just fine without us. Don't be afraid to say goodbye. Don't ever be afraid._

 _You will never be alone ever again, Henry._

 _I'm sorry for the tear drops on the paper, I got something in my eye and it's tearing like crazy. I'll be cool though._

 _Well, you're waving me over to come play with you and how can I say no? So I'm going to wrap this up._

 _Henry, I'm sorry we never got to go to space. I was counting on that but we have done so many other incredible things. The three of us became a family. You even made us apart of your forever family and that is the greatest honor anyone could ever ask for. Actually the greatest honor was getting to serve as your imaginary friend, getting to love and be loved by you. Regina wanted me to tell you that her love for you is wider than any sky and any universe. It's limitless and knows no bounds._

 _I second that._

 _There have been times when I wished I was real so that you could have been our son. Regina felt the same. There's nothing more she wanted than you._

 _What I'm trying to say is, thank you Henry. Thank you for choosing us to be apart of your life. Thank you for being kind and special. Thank you for always believing in us until the very end. Thank you for being our family._

 _That's what love is, Henry. You've shown us love and you will be with us always just as we will always be with you even when you think we aren't._

 _We love you, Henry._

 _Alright kid, I gotta go but I just wanted you to know that you will always be loved and protected by us. You will always be our little Henry. The kid who gave us life. A happy and special life._

 _Anyway, Henry, I'm off to kick your butt in basketball. Good luck!_

 _See ya around, Kid._

 _Love Forever, Knight Emma and Queen Regina._

Henry folded the letter back up and quickly began wiping his tears that he hadn't even realized had began falling. He had no idea how he could have forgotten them. And how could he suddenly miss them so much?

He hadn't thought of them in years. How could he not feel guilty? But it felt good to know that they still loved him. He just wished that he could see them one last time. Hug them and tell them how much he loved them. Most importantly thank them. But that would never happen.

With a sigh he tucked the letter into his pocket and began to head out of the room when his daughter's voice stopped him.

"Emma says she misses you too." The little girl's sleepy voice said. Henry turned around and furrowed his brow at his sleepy child. She was wearing a small smile. "And Regina said that she still loves you as much as she did then." She giggled a little. "And they said don't worry, they'll take good care of me."

Henry smiled then. "Are they here right now?" He asked hopefully.

Hailey nodded. "They're always here. Emma is standing watch for Oogie Boogie and Regina is cuddling with me."

He smiled even wider. They were the same as he always remembered. "Who are they to you?"

"Regina is the Queen and Emma is the Knight." The little girl giggled. "They have a baby. His name is Henry like you, daddy."

Henry smiled even wider. Memories of his time with the first two people he ever loved raced through his mind and tears sprang to his eyes again. He had no idea how badly he needed that. Just to remember them. For a moment he could feel them, even smell Regina's sweet scent of apples. "Can you tell them that I love them?" He asked softly. "And that I said thank you."

Hailey paused as if she was listening for something. "Emma said she knows and they love you too. Regina said 'thank you' and she will always love you."

He chuckled. Of course they would come to take care of his daughter. That was so much like them. They were family. He felt a sudden sense of security wash over him at the thought of them taking care of Hailey. She's in the best hands

"Gina says I have to go to sleep now, daddy." Hailey said suddenly. "And for you to go sleep as well."

He chuckled then. "Alright." He said. "Good night, baby." The little girl then waved her father off and laid back down. "Good night, Queen Regina and Knight Emma." He said into the darkness of the room. "I love you." He waiting for a voice, movement and got nothing. He frowned in disappointment.

Without another word, he pulled the door open and slipped out into the hallway. He leaned back against the door and exhaled. A teary smile pulled at his lips. He shut his eyes. Regina and Emma were the most important people in his world even though he was the only one that could see them. Honestly he liked that. That way he got to keep them for himself and he never had to share. He was content with that but one day everything changed.

He woke up and didn't even think about them. He went about his day and didn't realized that they were gone until he was turning in for the night. He looked for them frantically but couldn't find them. He continued to try to conjure them up every day but after a while he realized that they were really gone. He went on with his life though. He went from missing them to forgetting about them all together. He graduated high school then college and married Violet. They had a baby. Little Hailey and that was enough for him but maybe that was always in the back of his mind. What bothered him the most was that he never got to say goodbye but now he did. He got his closure. It was wonderful though that they weren't gone forever. Now Hailey was going to have an amazing time with them like her father before her. He might even join in on a few games. He sighed again and pushed off the door.

When he opened his eyes he was greeted by his wife. He smiled at her and she smiled back. "Everything okay?" She asked.

He grinned and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "Everything is fine. Everything is just perfect." He sighed happily.

Which was true.

He had never felt safer.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


End file.
